TotalEnergies, a global oil major and European rival to ExxonMobil, is moving quickly to advance its ambitions offshore Guyana, planning to conduct a US$25 million 3D seismic survey to determine where it could drill on its newly awarded Block S4.
Documents published by Guyana’s Environmental Protection Agency show that TotalEnergies Guyana intends to conduct the survey in 2026 as part of the first exploration phase of the block. The operator-led programme will acquire new seismic data, process it using modern imaging technology, and use the results to evaluate subsurface prospectivity and mature targets for potential exploration wells.
The proposed survey, utilising a seismic vessel, will cover about 2,000 square kilometres in shallow waters offshore Guyana at depths of 20 to 30 metres. The project is expected to span roughly 70 days, while subsequent data processing is expected to take 12 months.
Block S4 was awarded under Guyana’s 2023 offshore licensing round, with the production sharing contract executed in November 2025. The block is operated by TotalEnergies with a 40% stake, alongside QatarEnergy and Petronas. The contract provides for a maximum five-year exploration period split into two phases. The initial three-year phase allows for seismic and other baseline studies, after which the operator must relinquish 50% of the acreage. A subsequent two-year phase, subject to renewal, would allow for exploration drilling.
The TotalEnergies study will occur this year following a government-sanctioned multi-client seismic study aimed at gathering deepwater data over unawarded blocks to support a future licensing round. Together, the surveys are expected to provide comprehensive data about areas offshore Guyana and potentially diversify a basin in which, so far, all oil production comes from the ExxonMobil-operated Stabroek Block.
